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Local Congregation Welcomes New Clergy

Rabbi Ira Rosenfeld and Cantor Beth Wasserman Rosenfeld join Congregation Beth Shalom

Congregation Beth Shalom of the Santa Clarita Valley is delighted to
welcome new clergy to guide its member families as spiritual leaders.
Rabbi Ira Rosenfeld and Cantor Beth Wasserman Rosenfeld join CBS on July
1. This will be the married couple’s first opportunity to be working
together for the same congregation.

Rabbi Rosenfeld is an accomplished rabbi and religious school teacher.
Currently completing his Master’s thesis at The Academy for Jewish
Religion/California, he is the former rabbi and cantor at Temple Ner
Shalom in San Luis Obispo. He has taught students at virtually all levels,
from first grade to adult education, including 8th and 9th grade at Los
Angeles Hebrew High School, and 7th grade at Temple Aliyah in Woodland
Hills.

Rabbi Ira uses his humor and mastery of dialect to engage and educate both
his students and congregation. Rabbi Ira mixes his command of Hebrew,
Aramaic, and a little Ladino within his worship services to create a warm
and interesting interactive experience for his congregants.

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Rabbi Ira Rosenfeld and his wife, Cantor Beth Wasserman Rosenfeld

He has a love of Jewish and secular music, enhanced by his musicianship as
a drummer and guitarist.  His many talents also include comedy and acting,
and he has extensive experience performing in comedy clubs and for
television and motion pictures.

Rabbi Ira grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Los Angeles to
pursue his acting and comedy careers. Although he initially began teaching
in Jewish institutions as a way to pay the bills in between professional
engagements as an actor and comedian, he found that what he really wanted
to do was become a rabbi and inspire people spiritually, as well as
through entertainment.

Rabbi Rosenfeld and Cantor Rosenfeld have collaborated together to create
many different kinds of worship experiences, from Shabbat to High Holy
Days. By fusing his Orthodox upbringing with her Conservative background,
they bring the best of both worlds to their congregants.

Rabbi Ira and Cantor Beth consider the production of their two sons,
Jonah, 6, and Eli, 18 months, to be their most satisfying collaboration to
date.

Cantor Beth Wasserman Rosenfeld comes to CBS with over 10 years experience
as an accomplished cantor. In addition to her studies through the Cantors
Assembly Certification Program, Cantor Beth has earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Voice Performance and a Master of Arts degree in Music
Production from the American University in Washington, D.C.

In addition to her cantorial work at various Southern California
congregations, Cantor Rosenfeld has performed at the Dorothy Chandler
Pavilion, the Matrix Theatre, and UCLA’s Royce Hall at a variety of
tributes and celebrations of Jewish music. Cantor Beth’s position as
assistant cantor with Cantor Chayim Frenkel, the long-time cantor at
Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades, led to co-producing four CD recordings
of Jewish music. She is a featured soloist on all four CD’s.
[view:node_ad=5]Cantor Rosenfeld’s work with religious school students created a “singing
community” among her students during weekly prayer service as a fun way to
feel spirituality. She has directed many adult and youth choirs, as well
as training both adolescent and adult B’nai Mitzvah candidates in Hebrew,
prayers, and trope (the special notes for chanting Torah and Haftorah).

Cantor Beth has also performed on stage in a variety of plays and
musicals, and was a featured singer on two different Carnival Cruise Line
ships.

“Our Rabbi and Cantor Search Committees did a tremendous job under the
challenging circumstances of having to simultaneously fill both clerical
positions for our congregation. We are very pleased to welcome Rabbi Ira
and Cantor Beth,” said Congregation Beth Shalom’s Board of Trustees
President Don Like. “We invite the community to come meet Rabbi Ira and
Cantor Beth this summer, as I know they are eager to learn more about the
Santa Clarita Valley and its vibrant Jewish Community,” Like added.

Congregation Beth Shalom of the Santa Clarita Valley is a Conservative
Jewish congregation, serving the community since 1976. Shabbat services
are held at CBS every Friday evening and Saturday morning. CBS is located
at 21430 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita, CA 91350. For directions
and a worship service schedule, call the CBS office at (661)254-2411.

Local Congregation Welcomes New Clergy

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